Iran said it is preparing conditions for reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as diplomatic efforts intensify to revive dialogue between Tehran and Washington and bring an end to the ongoing war.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary, Mohsen Rezaei, said Tehran was drawing up a list of demands following requests from regional mediators.
Rezaei said the United States would have to take “practical steps” to meet Iran’s demands before the waterway could be reopened.
The development followed a visit to Tehran by Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who held talks with senior Iranian officials on Thursday.
Speaking after the meetings, the Qatari prime minister said he had stressed “the importance of respecting freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law.”
The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is one of the world’s most important energy routes and previously carried about 20 per cent of global oil supplies before the war severely disrupted maritime traffic.
Iran’s Rezaei said the proposed conditions would include measures linked to ending the regional war and addressing what Tehran considers the consequences of US actions.
Reuters reports that Iran and Oman have also agreed in principle on a shipping corridor through Iranian and Omani waters, although details of the arrangement remain under discussion.
However, Washington maintains a different position.
US President Donald Trump said the Strait of Hormuz is open while insisting that the United States remains in control of the situation.
“The Strait of Hormuz is open, we have control and we have the blockade,” Trump said.
The United States has also said its forces have cleared internationally recognised shipping lanes of Iranian sea mines, potentially allowing commercial vessels to transit under US protection.
Despite that claim, normal commercial traffic has yet to return to the levels seen before the conflict.
Iran sets conditions for reopening Strait of Hormuz as Qatar pushes for US-Iran dialogue